[stephw4]

I have 2 mini-dachshunds ages 7 and 9. They are not overweight in fact one only weighs 5.5 lbs. Both of them have had recurring urinary tract infections with struvite crystals. My dogs eat a raw diet (Natures Instinct) with NO grains at all. They also get plenty of water. My vet wants me to put them on Royal Canin urinary support food. For obvious reasons I don’t want to do that. Any suggestions on what to do?

[InkedMarie]

have you added any urinary supplements? What about adding some warm water to their raw?

[crazy4cats]

I think that is weird that your pups got crystals while eating raw food. However, after one of my cats blocked due to crystals, I have been researching causes for them. There are other reasons besides just diet. Definitely, make sure they continue to get a lot of moisture and plenty of opportunities to go potty. Also, feed two or three times a day to keep their pH levels in check. I believe that stress and anxiety caused much of my cat’s issue. Have you made big changes at home recently? Any new pets or people in the house, or changes to their routines?
Prescription food, both canned and dry has helped rid my cat of his crystals. I’m giving him about 75% prescription food and 25% regular diet. I am going to gradually decrease the prescription over a year’s time and reevaluate his urine regularly.

Crystals in dogs are not as serious as in male cats as their parts are no where as likely to get blocked as cats. However, they can make it painful to pee as they are like little pieces of glass. Can you feed them the Royal Canin temporarily or with the raw until the infections and crystals are gone? Also glucosamine has been recommended to me by more than one vet for bladder support. Good luck to you. It can be worrisome, can’t it?

[DogFoodie]

I think it seems odd that the same thing is happening to both dogs at the same time.

Any chance of changing to a different brand of commercial raw or even a home cooked diet?

I have no first hand experience with UTIs or crystals, but wondered if something was going on with one of my dogs when she started licking herself, so I started both of my dogs on Mercola Bladder Support. The batch that Mercola is shipping expires in February, so I’d wait until they have a fresh batch on hand if you decide to consider it.

[stephw4]

I have not added any supplements yet. I have never heard of Mercola Bladder Support. But I will look it up. I think that I am going to switch back to making my own food, add water to their food and look into a supplement. I actually have 4 doxies but only 2 with this issue. These 2 dogs are also the most insecure and get stressed easily. So if that is an issue I am not quite sure what to do about that. If you read on Dog Food Advisor he says Royal Canin food is terrible and if my vet recommends it I should change vets.

Thanks everyone for the input. It helps to get different opinions.

[DogFoodie]

I really like Herbsmith products. They have one called Calm Shen for dogs with anxiety. Herbsmith products follow TCVM principals. Here’s a link: http://www.herbsmithinc.com/home/Canine/Herbs/CalmShen/default.asp

Here’s a link to the Mercola product: http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/bladder-health-for-pets/ Don’t buy it without calling them first to make sure they’re shipping you fresh product. It’s an excellent product.

A couple of excellent books on making homemade meals that are properly balanced are, “Real Food for Healthy Cats and Dogs” by Karen Becker and “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. In a nutshell, I found Dr. Becker’s book great for recipes and Steve Brown’s book for the supplement information.

[DogFoodie]

Herbsmith also has a quality bladder support product: http://www.herbsmithinc.com/home/Canine/Herbs/BladderCare/default.asp

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